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February 19, 2014

Ortiz: " I Can’t Wait ... I'm Hungrier Than Ever Right Now"

David Ortiz is about to begin the final year of his current contract, and he would like to extend that into 2015. Principal owner John Henry thinks that is "conceivable" that the issue could be settled this spring.

The 2013 World Series MVP has spoken a lot in the last day or two about his contract situation, and offered his unvarnished opinion about various media members - the Globe's Nick Cafardo and Dan Shaughnessy, to name two obvious examples from the print media - who have suggested he shut his yap when it comes to being properly compensated for his services.

I don't even know why they're bitching about me talking about contracts. Guys putting up my numbers, they're making [$]25 [million], [$]30 million. I'm not asking for that. I'm asking for half of it. And they're still bitching about it? [Expletive] them. I'm tired of hearing them talk [expletive] about me when I talk about my contract. Hey, every time I talk about my contract, I earn it, [expletive]. So don't be giving me that [expletive].

As long as I have been in this organization, I don't think I have disrespected [anyone]. I think I have been honest. I think I have been legit and I've been one of the greatest to wear this uniform, too. Some people forget about that but sometimes you've got to let them know. I think it's very disrespectful for someone out there to be saying that I'm greedy, that all I want to talk about is contract. When am I going to talk about contract? When I retire? ... A lot of them go out there on the radio talk, those radio shows or whatever, they always like to come out with their chest wide open and talk trash ...

Haters man, haters, haters. People hate. That's the world we're living in today. People hate people [and] are not comfortable with you doing well, and that's it. ... That part of it motivates me to come in and kick ass, to be honest with you. I'm super-excited. I can't wait for the season to start, can't wait, can't wait. I'm anxious. I'm hungrier than ever right now. To me, what we did last year don't matter. I want to get another one ...

Another one? ... This season, the Red Sox will try to grab their fourth World Series championship in the last 11 years. (I can scarcely believe that previous sentence is true.)

In 11 seasons with Boston, Ortiz has been paid (according to B-Ref) salaries totaling $110,912,500. That's an average of $10 million a year, a shit ton of money to you and me, but chump change in the world of major league baseball. So he's asking for $15 million for 2015? That would be the highest annual salary of his career, by the way. Dude's been horrifically underpaid, if you ask me.

After he's turned in a .962 career OPS in a Red Sox uniform - and led the franchise to THREE WORLD SERIES TITLES - Ortiz has earned the right to say whatever he wants whenever he wants to whoever he wants for as long as he wants.

7 comments:

Guys putting up his numbers? What about the incredible amount of guys putting up much less, and getting paid much more?

Ownership spent out their ass for guys like Crawford and Gonzalez, but when they have someone that's earned it, and still producing, they nickel and dime him? I'll side with Ortiz (and Allan) on this one. {Expletive]{Expletive]{Expletive]!

I suggest we take the brackets out of the expletives, that makes it more expletive funny.

David Ortiz has been paid about 110 million in his time with the Red Sox. According to Fangraphs, he has been worth some 40 million more (a total of 38,8 WAR over 11 seasons).

In the last three seasons he has put up WAR scores of 3,9, 2,9 and 3,8. At the going rate of 4,5-5 million dollars per win, 15 million for 2015 is at worst a measly thank you for 2003-2013 and at best a great bargain for the team.

Well I for one am absolutely outraged. I am sick of these primadonna athletes. It is completely classless to want to sign a new contract before the current one is over. To even mention wanting a new contract before the current one is over is tantamount to extortion; it's practically a threat that the player intends on tanking in 2014 unless he gets his way.

Also, he could get injured before he plays out the length of any new contract, which means a HUGE risk for Sox management. It could be a financial albatross around their necks, preventing them from signing new superstar players.

And last but not least, the average payment of a player at his position is only at about 6 million, so logically, that's all he's worth. It really is the height of hubris that he's asking for more than that.

If the Sox were smart, they would wait until 2014 is over--let him play the last day of his current contract and see how his performance/health is--before meeting his agent for a potential new contract. That seems to be the safest strategy, and I can't think of any possible risks that would arise from that.

ESPN: "After Ortiz's news conference, there was a verbal confrontation in the Red Sox clubhouse between Ortiz and Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, who called the designated hitter "selfish" for talking about his contract a year before it expired in a story that ran in late January."